As the race for the 2023 presidential post hots up, a pressure group, angling for the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria CBN, Mr Godwin Emefiele, to contest for the nation’s number one position, on Thursday anchored the ship of its campaign in Benin City, Edo State capital, with a call to the Delta State-born number one banker to heed the advice of Nigerians and contest the presidency.
The group, which goes by the name, “Push 4 Emefiele 2023 Presidency”, urged Emefiele to as a matter of urgency accede to the call made to him by Nigerians to contest the 2023 presidential election in order to rescue Nigeria from economic woes.
Push 4 Emefiele 2023 Presidency said that the emergence of the Apex Bank Governor as the President of Nigeria in 2023 would improve the economy of the country among other things and make life more abundant to the people.
Speaking at a press briefing held at the Constantia Hotel, Airport Road, Benin, the National Coordinator of “Push 4 Emefiele 2023 Presidency” Presly Okojie, said that the group was committed to dragging the CBN Governor to the 2023 race because he had done very well as the governor of the apex bank for the period he had been in charge.
Okojie posited that the fact that Emefiele, having been appointed as the CBN Governor by President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, and was retained by President Muhammadu Buhari, contrary to the general practice of succeeding not retaining the personnel inherited from the previous administration, confirmed the confidence reposed in the ability of the CBN Governor to fi the economy.
“The man, Godwin Emefiele was CEO/MD of Zenith Bank until in 2014 when the former president, Goodluck Jonathan, appointed him Governor of Central Bank and when President Buhari came into power, he reappointed him, because of his performance. He was the one that introduced the BVN (Banking Verification Number) that has made bank transactions very easy. He also brought Nigeria out of recession two times in five years. Nigeria was having about 3,000 megawatts of electricity, but through his efforts, Nigeria has about 5,000 megaWatts today and that is what has brought stability in the power sector.
“He anchored the Anchor Borrower Programs, the COVID-19 intervention programs, the agric loans. Our microfinance banks are one of the best today courtesy of what Mr Godwin Emefiele has done, I believe that If such a man is given the chance he will make Nigeria an enviable country,” Okojie eulogised.
He disclosed that the group started its mobilisation in Edo state and would move to Port Harcourt, River State and then to other states in the South-South States